Seoul calls for freeze of North's nuclear programme, Chinese mediation
Jan 08, 2026
Seoul [South Korea], January 8: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said he has asked his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to play a mediation role as his government seeks to improve relations with the North and restart talks over its nuclear programme.
Speaking in Shanghai, at the end of a four-day state visit to China, Lee proposed a freeze in Pyongyang's nuclear programme in exchange for "compensation or some form of return". "Just stopping at the current level - no additional production of nuclear weapons, no transfer of nuclear materials abroad, and no further development of ICBMs - would already be a gain," Lee told journalists following meetings with top Chinese officials, including his second meeting with Xi in two months. "If that stage is achieved, then in the medium term we can move toward gradual reduction," Lee added. "In the long term, we must not give up the goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula."
Source: Qatar Tribune
